1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments described herein relate generally to visual surveillance and, more particularly, to a method and system for visual surveillance camera control.
2. Description of Related Art
At least some known security systems include visual surveillance systems that are used to monitor physical activities within a predetermined area. At least some of these known visual surveillance systems include pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras that pan about a vertical axis, tilt about a horizontal axis, and zoom in on selected objects and regions. Known PTZ cameras and associated systems are operated in two modes, that is, manual and automatic. While operating the camera in a manual mode, an operator is actively controlling the camera and using the camera's PTZ features to investigate areas of interest. Using a dedicated operator increases operational costs. While operating some known PTZ cameras in an automatic mode of operation, the camera is directed to repeat a set pattern of coverage. Such a predetermined pattern is referred to as a “tour”. In addition, some known camera systems repetitively perform tours that have a predetermined periodicity.